Victor Sullivan has apparantly been busy selling his best friend into slavery. Er, I meant to say, standing beside his buddy while he sells himself into slavery. Oh screw it! I mean he's Best Man at his buddy's funeral AARGH! goddamn autocomplete! (Yeah, blame it on the autocomplete. That always works!) His buddy's wedding!

So, while Victor is becoming inebriated, I get the joy of staying here and publishing the newsletter! And what a sublime joy it has been!

CC's resident Austrian School Economist, BigBallinStalin, faces your most erudite and incisive questions in the Interrogation Room. (No, I'm happy to say we did not have to use the toe clamps. Just a harmless bit of waterboarding! That was a blast!)

In the Mess Hall, DoomYoshi's brings us a (historically genuine) letter from the American Civil War, which gives plenty of food for thought about some of the moral implications of war.

The Office of Strategic Services is is now onto its second issue. The SoC's Official Ambassador, Viceroy63, has his second article in that section, while CJ Lues and WorldCup4James each have their first. A special thank-you to the hippo for editing that section this time around.

I won't say much about War Games, since I've already had my chance to speak in there. Just read it, will ya?

Cartographic Surveillance, as usual, accounts for more than 60% of the total volume of the newsletter (and according to some experts, possibly 33% of the total volume of Cyberspace -- believe it, or not!) Sometimes I wonder if koontz1973 is human or cyborg. Can any human consistently produce so much quality work?

Last but not least, another exciting Platoon Report, including a very special Valentines' Day edition of Hardballs. Fenrir's Hardballs has always been one of the most popular regular features in the newsletter, but I think this one will be even more so than usual.

Speaking of Master Fenrir, he is the Interrogation target for the next issue. You have a little time to put in your questions to him, so don't delay!

Want to get into the Mafia scene, but don't know how to play or even what it is? Consult these threads: Mafia Information, Mafia and You, and Rules and Terms of Mafia.Too much work? Too lazy to read through everything? No worries, you can always jump right into a game and ask for other players or the game runner to help guide you.

What is "Mafia"?Mafia, for those of you that don't know, is a game that generally takes place in a town, where the townspeople have to determine who the mafia (or "scum") is and lynch them via a majority vote during the day and the mafia try to kill everyone at night and bluff their way out of getting killed by the town.

Mafia NewsA very impressive showing by town in Get Rich from the Bank Mafia. With the early neutralization of the third party poisoner and a good town revive, town eventually weeded out mafia, culminating in a Day 3 lynch of the godfather. A good tight game from town.

Italian Style Mafia had an interesting theme where the Italian Mafia was town. That made for some confusion when discussing who was "town" and who was "mafia in the game thread. Unfortunately, a large number of town players were nightkilled in the early game, and one of the two scum factions eventually won.

Mafia CalloutsCalling all players interested! Some mafia games need some filling:

Advanced Roles and Strategy by safariguy5What do you do when the game is about to end?

LYLO or MYLO

What is It?LYLO stands for Lynch or Lose, while MYLO stands for Mislynch and lose. Basically, they refer to the point in the game where one town lynch can mean immediate win for the mafia faction. These always refer to the last day phase where town outnumber mafia by only one or two. With one extra town member than mafia, a town mislynch immediately ends the game. With two extra town members, a town mislynch forces town to correctly neutralize the mafia's nightkill in order to have another chance. In either case, whether or not the game has progressed to LYLO or MYLO depends a bit on estimating the size of the mafia faction. In general, a balanced game will have different numbers of mafia players depending on the size of the game. For games with 9 or fewer people, expect about 2 mafia members. For games of 9-12 players, 3 mafia members. Games of 13-16 players, 4 mafia members. Games of 17-20 players, 5 mafia members, and so on. The actual number of mafia players will depend on how many power roles and abilities the town players have and whether there are any third parties in the game. Regardless, if town has not been able to lynch any mafia members and only about half of the players are remaining, then the game probably has entered LYLO or MYLO.

ExampleThe game originally had 12 players. There are only 7 players left, which means that the game is probably in LYLO, assuming no mafia or third party players have been lynched.

How to Use this StrategyTown strategy in LYLO or MYLO comes down to claims and cleared players. If there are any players who have either proven their ability or have been cleared by investigations left, those generally are not the ones who will be lynched. Once everyone has claimed, it's usually a good idea to compile the list of claimed night actions and cross check them with actual game events. If no discrepancies can be found, reexamine cases of players still alive to test validity. Ultimately, a combination of cases and suspicious claims usually can find probable scum candidates.

Mafia strategy in LYLO can come down to coordination. Speedlynching is risky as active town players can unvote and expose scum. Generally the best idea is to cast doubt on a claimed townie. Alternatively, one of the scum members can push a case on a town player and have the other scum members support the case. If you can deadlock the vote, it could cause the deciding player to agree with the mafia and cause a mislynch. Scum factions will often target cleared townies earlier on in the game to widen the possible candidates for mislynch at endgame.

When last we left off, the American Civil War had almost ended. Major-General W. T. Sherman had captured Atlanta and started communicating with the Confederate General J. B. Hood. Sherman was going to practice the 'scorched earth' policy he made famous. Hood said that "the unprecedented measure you propose transcends, in studied and ingenious cruelty, all acts ever before brought to my attention in the dark history of war". Was Sherman going to accept this insult without reproach? Here is his reply:

HDQRS. MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI,In the Field, Atlanta, Ga., September 10, 1864.

General J. B. HOOD, C. S. Army, Comdg. Army of Tennessee:

GENERAL: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of this date [9th], at the hands of Messrs. Ball and Crew, consenting to the arrangements I had proposed to facilitate the removal south of the people of Atlanta who prefer to go in that direction. I inclose you a copy of my orders, which will, I am satisfied, accomplish my purpose perfectly. You style the measure proposed "unprecedented," and appeal to the dark history of war for a parallel as an act of "studied and ingenious cruelty." It is not unprecedented, for General Johnston himself, very wisely and properly, removed the families all the way from Dalton down, and I see no reason why Atlanta should be excepted. Nor is it necessary to appeal to the dark history of war when recent and modern examples are so handy. You, yourself, burned dwelling-houses along your parapet, and I have seen to-day fifty houses that you have rendered uninhabitable because they stood in the way of your forts and men. You defended Atlanta on a line so close to town that every cannon shot and many musket shots from our line of investment that overshot their mark went into the habitations of women and children. General Hardee did the same at Jonesborough, and General Johnston did the same last summer at Jackson, Miss. I have not accused you of heartless cruelty, but merely instance these cases of very recent occurrence, and could go on and enumerate hundreds of others and challenge any fair man to judge which of us has the heart of pity for the families of a "brave people." I say that it is kindness to these families of Atlanta to remove them now at once from scenes that women and children should not be exposed to, and the "brave people" should scorn to commit their wives and children to the rude barbarians who thus, as you say, violate the laws of war, as illustrated in the pages of its dark history. In the name of common sense I ask you not to appeal to a just God in such a sacrilegious manner; you who, in the midst of peace and prosperity, have plunged a nation into war, dark and cruel war; who dared and badgered us to battle, insulted our flag, seized our arsenals and forts that were left in the honorable custody of peaceful ordnance sergeants; seized and made "prisoners of war" the very garrisons sent to protect your people against negroes and Indians long before any overt act was committed by the, to you, hated Lincoln Government; tried to force Kentucky and Missouri into rebellion, spite of themselves; falsified the vote of Louisiana, turned loose your privateers to plunder unarmed ships; expelled Union families by the thousands; burned their houses and declared by an act of your Congress the confiscation of all debts due Northern men for goods had and received. Talk thus to the marines, but not to me, who have seen these things, and who will this day make as much sacrifice for the peace and honor of the South as the best born Southerner among you. If we must be enemies, let us be men and fight it out, as we propose to do, and not deal in such hypocritical appeals to God and humanity. God will judge us in due time, and He will pronounce whether it be more humane to fight with a town full of women, and the families of "a brave people" at our back, or to remove them in time to places of safety among their own friends and people.

W. T. SHERMAN,Major-general, Commanding.

Clearly, Sherman thought that destruction of a city is less cruel than combat in a city. What do you think? Come back next time to see this communication continue.

Q. Why did you choose the name Big Ballin Stalin? Is it an affinity for moustachioed dictators?In Soviet Russia, name choose YOU.omg, I love pistachios!

Q. Considering your anarcho capitalist ways, how do you feel about the olympics?If the state didn't take your money to support it, you could've spent that money on whatever you actually want.+ Nationalism is teh best!

Q. Deregulated marketing?Fraudulent behavior should remain a crime. Lying that causes significant harm? No thanks, but that's about it.

Q. Does C+I+G+X give you a hard-on? If not, what economical phenomenon really gets the blood pumpin in the downstairs area?Spontaneous order, the creation and development of social orders (like institutions) without intentional design.

Q. Where is your favorite place to log on to CC?Top left of the screen.

Q. Who is your favorite Iowan?jefjef, of course!

Q. What is your favorite thread?I dunno. I usually have fun wherever.

Q. What is your most memorable game?Messing around.

Q. Why do I (jefjef) not have you foed?Cuz yous a retard.

Q. Who do you enjoy trolling the most? Why?

Q. What does BBS stand for?BigBallinStalinStalin was a baller; you can't explain that!

Q. Why are you so knowledgeable about economics?I am?Reading and writing help!

Q. How did you settle on your username?Things pop up in my head, and I take them.

Q. Did you ever consider alternatives like ColossalCoconutKruschev?or LintasticLenin?

Q. Do you work out?I bike everyday; it accounts for 90% of my transportation. I used too lift weights to make funny faces in the mirror.

Q. Dostoevsky or Tolstoy?Never read either TBH.

Q. Are dices random?As randam as Nazi Grammars.

Q. What are your thoughts on the legalization of marijuana and it's effects on today's economy?

Less non-violent criminals in prison; back to contributing to the economy.More focus on violent crime for police officers.If you want to create jobs, value, gain-from-trade, etc., then stop prohibiting marijuana.

Q. Who does the best chicken little impression on CC?owenshooter, I think.

Q. Why is your ballin so big?

Q. What were you doing in Taiwan and what does it have to do with the American government?"Penetration testing."

Q. What is your favorite WWII Soviet tank?

Q. Do you play any other strategy games, e.g. Axis & Allies?I used to play Hearts of Iron 2 and stuff like that.

Q. Why weren't you Discussions Mod longer?It was cramping style.

Q. What would possess you to root for an NFL team as incompetent and unlikable as the Chicago Bears?I don't believe in ghosts, sir.

Q. Do you steal rolls?Lulz can't be stolen, only replicated!

Q. In snooker, if the red is blocking the pink would you pot the brown?I sink all the red balls because I hate communists. The colored balls have got it bad enough, so I leave them alone.

Q. Imagine the person you hate most in the world. if you could kill them, knowing with certainty that you have a 100% chance of getting away with it, would you commit murderI don't hate anyone that much.

Q. If you could confer immortality on five people (including retroactively) who would you choose?On myself, and the next 4 highest bidders.

Q. A bunch of my friends and I (tkr4lf) are getting together on Saturday for a good, old fashioned game of grab ass. Would you be interested?Ready.

Q. What's your view on religion(ie spirituality, organized religion, gods, usefulness and whatever the hell else)?You can believe whatever you want, so long as you're not going around hurting people (involuntarily). Suicide cults are fine with me; they filter out the most gullible and trusting of people.

Q. What's your view on the state(politics, economics, regulations, police, army, courts of law and whatever the hell else)?Politics: Limited government (city-state level) or none.Economics: CapitalismRegulations: To be determined by the individuals themselves. Common law is acceptable.Defense: I'm not sure. If you want to defend the "motherland," then fight or move someplace nicer.Police and courts: provided by the market. Not necessarily privatized because groups can be self-governing/self-organizing (see Governing the Common by Elinor Ostrum.

Q. I will give you $100,000,000 provided you agree to live in either (a) Sweden, or, (b) Somalia, 11 months out of the year for the rest of your life. Do you take the money and, if so, which place do you choose to live? Why? I'd take the money, do research in Somalia, then leave whenever I wanted because you couldn't enforce the contract (the transaction costs would be too high).

Q. You may choose as a gift any one item that appears - at the time you answer this question - on the first two pages of the popular accessories blog uncrate.com. However, you may not sell this item or profit from it in any other way. What item do you choose and why?f*ck yea.

Q. Would you rather - for one year - move in with nietzsche or have nietzsche move in with you? You must choose one of these options.Come move in with me. Me and the fellas would have a good 'ol time. YEEEEEE HAWWW!!!!

Q. Have you ever earned beads in the French Quarter? Knowing that the correct answer is "Serbia", who do you think could earn more: you or Serbia?"Earned"? What is this, some social justice question? I'll outflash you any day of the week, lil Serbs.

Q. What is your opinion on communists and fascists?Misled.

Q. Top 5 favourite movies? Top 5 favourite books?Honestly, I don't have favorites. People ask me these questions, and I don't get it. Sometimes, I like this; other times, I like that.

Sorrrryyyyyy.

Q. Why do you choose to frequent this shithole forum?Gotta take a dump somewhere!

Q. Stormcloaks or Imperials?Both die by my blade!! I FIGHT FOR ME!!!! RAARRRRRHGGHHH!!!!!!

Q. Is your sister hot?Do you like CP?

Q. How many humans would you kill to save a baby seal?OH HO!!! THE TABLES HAVE FLIPPED!!!ZERO.Then I'd film the baby seal getting crushed, then I'd send you the link. Blarga harga haraga haraga harga har!

Q. How many baby seals would you kill to save a Dukasaur?1000+10,000 or 100,000 depending on my opportunity costs.

Q. If I (TA1LGUNN3R) were to come over to your house, would you make me some genuine ma's recipe gumbo? None of that out-of-a-packet seasoning crap, but some real, spicy, been cooking all day long Cajun gumbo?Sure, TG!

Q. Now that you have gone freemium, are you going to try to become a mod again? HEARSAY!

Q. If you are making gumbo, do you know how to make a roux?Out of your bones.

Q. What's good in life? WATliving?

Q. How do you feel about follow-up questions?

Thanks for your time!

Well, great minds have great things to add. The first instalment of the Strategy Section was a humdinger, I'm sure you'll agree! Sully is having a day off, so it's your's truly stepping in. In this installment, Viceroy63 weighs in with that perennial question after the game begins: " ... egads! What now? " And it's an even bigger question when you have teammates! So CJ Lues takes us for a spin in the quad dance! Finally, WorldCup4James sees red and wonders whether that's an advantage in its own right!! But whether you follow these words of wisdom or not, remember the words of Napoleon Bonaparte when he said:

As an SoC Reporter, I can not write another article that would ignore the Perfectly Obvious staring me right in my face. And so in this article I will discuss the very first move as found in and defined from the SoC Handbook: The F4M (First Four Moves). Only we shall go into a very particular detail of it. By the way; If you have not already done so, you can read the "First Four Moves in a Nutshell" at the link below.

For the most part these principles apply to Escalating Games only and they work because these principles are very well founded in the natural world with its natural laws. Energy or force is conserved for the purpose of converting said energy or force into other greater and more efficient forms of energy, force or matter in its right potential, place and time. For example, Potential Energy becomes Kinetic Energy, Gathering Storm Clouds become Lighting Storms and so forth, in its right place and time.

The SoC Handbook states it like this...

Move #1Deploy only. Survey your drop and determine which territories you want to keep and which ones you want to leave alone. Do not make any attacks this turn. Consolidate any groupings into single stacks. You should have the beginnings of your 3-5 working stacks now....

While there are many reasons for the logic of this first move and it does cover many areas, there is only one area in particular that I want to focus on in this article at this time. And it has to do with the principle of not attacking on the first turn, I like to call it the “First Come First Served” principle. That principle is not mentioned directly because perhaps it is too obvious to mention and even more obvious to see.

Simply put it's this; Since one can only hold a maximum of 5 spoils on hand at a time, then the first person to get 5 spoils must by obligation, turn in a set of spoils for the troops that it calls for at the beginning of their next turn. Thus the first person to have five spoils at the beginning of their turn, must trade in for 4 troops, the second person for 6 troops, and so it goes by a count of 2's until the count calls for 12 troops, where it then jumps to 15 troops and then the count increases by 5 more troops at a time after that.

So what were to happen then, if you did not attack anyone on your first move and just waited until everyone else got at least 1 spoil each before going after your own spoil? Then you would be the one receiving the most spoils for the trade in. Everyone else would be obligated to trade in first before you (First Come, First Served) and then you would be forced to trade in last. Now let’s do the counting and see if it makes any sense. Let’s say this is a 7 player game. This is assuming that all players are gaining a spoils card on each turn with out any missed turns or what not.

04 troops goes to the 1st player to trade in their spoils.06 troops goes to the 2nd player to trade in their spoils.08 troops goes to the 3rd player to trade in their spoils.10 troops goes to the 4th player to trade in their spoils.12 troops goes to the 5th player to trade in their spoils.15 troops goes to the 6th player to trade in their spoils.

And you, because you did not attack anyone on your first move but waited until everyone else had gotten their spoils first, you are now obligated as the seventh player to trade in your spoils last for...

20 troops goes to the 7th player to trade in their spoils.

And you can then celebrate, break out the best bubbly and make love to your husband or wife because you made a killing in the stock market today. You got the most return for the least investment. Just don't tell your spouse that it was only a game. =)

Now think about it. Every player fought the same for their spoils and every player traded in the same 3 spoils for their troops on their turn, but you, because you “Only Deployed” in move 1 and waited till everyone had at least one spoils before you fought for your spoils, now you get 20 troops instead of only 4. Now when we look at it like that, is it not worth it to just “Deploy Only” on the first move and let everyone else fight for their spoils? Deploy only and do not attack on the first turn. Conserve energy! Like the gathering storm clouds in the skies, that energy just builds up, waiting for it's right time and place.

It sort of gives new meaning to the saying, “The first shall be last and the last shall be first,” first in the quantity of troops that we receive that is, for just waiting and being last to get the first spoils of war, for just waiting patiently. It's almost like the first players to turn in their spoils are really just cheating themselves out of 15 or so extra troops. They do it to themselves.

I kid you not when I say, “I love being the last one to play.” And sometimes, if I have a matching set of spoils out of 4 spoils or even just 3, and I am one of the first to trade in, then I will just continue to deploy only (for just one turn) and not attack just to obligate the other players to trade in before I do. Of course I am referring to the first 4 or 5 rounds because doing that in later rounds could back fire on you.

Now this does not mean that the first person to play does not have some kind of an inherent advantage to being first over the others, there is always the possibility that the first player could eliminate a weaker player first and take away his spoils, as he is first to play. That would be his right by Ascension. But those are also rare opportunities as well. And as the first player is trading in his spoils for 4 troops, he/she is also preparing for their next spoils trade which would be greater then 20 troops, or at least should be planning so.

There are things in the game that simply can't be foreseen like, who will strike the first blow and who will be the first target and if the attack will succeed or fail? Those unexpected plays are all part of the game but who gets how many troops for spoils in what turn, those are things that we can pretty much foresee and play accordingly. So the next time you’re starting an escalating game, and it's your first move to play, ask yourself:

Remember these famous words...? It comes from the mouth of Colonel John Hannibal Smith, leader of The A-Team!

The team that always made it out the other end no matter what, because they worked as ONE, although the were four completely different men.

Some of you may know the CC A-Team... We certainly aren't as good as the Los Angeles A-Team but we try our best to work as one...I think this is something that needs to be discussed and taught. Sometimes when you join team games one or more of the members doesn't even say hello in the chat! You have to drag them into the chat with a post on their wall or a PM...

I think the Number One rule in a team game is communication. If there is little or no communication in a team it's a recipe for disaster!

In my team we ALWAYS discuss EVERY move before we do it, even we discussed 2 or three moves in advance still say a few words like "good luck"... I once played a Doubles game with a Cook (I myself was still a Private) against a Major and a General! we were on the verge of winning it! But the Cook got over exited and did not discuss the move with me (it was escalating spoils) and he placed his troops on a good place, but i saw a Better place where he could have taken the general out... the opportunity of winning a ton of points were lost on an communication error.... So, Communication is Key!

Another thing that plays a vital point in Team games is Planning. There is a saying:

Fail to Plan, is a Plan to Fail!

Me and my Team stand on this rule! We use that 24 hours sometimes on the minutes to think the Plan through. We also try to always have two plans (Plan A and B) sometimes one player gives 2 plans other times 2 or 3 each give a plan, that way we 2 or 3 different views of the situation at hand... we then discuss the plans and get a "happy medium" (though the medium is not always so happy when the dice doesn't play along, lol).

The last point I want to make is Have Fun! Whats the point of a game if it isn't fun?!

To some winning the game is more important than anything else on the site! Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE winning (don't we all) and competition! I'm a very competitive guy (if you have ever seen me on a Tennis court, you'll know what I'm talking about! ). But you have to always play with honor and have fun! At the beginning of every game I say "Gl and Hf everyone" (Good luck and Have fun). So, laugh with the other team(s) but be nice, be competitive but have honor...!

Special:I'm going to start a Quads Tourney called the "A-Team Special"...! So if you want to test your Team game skills hurry up over there! If you don't have a Quad team yet, see if you can put one together, it's the perfect place to start it! Remember, you can also ask previous opponents that you've liked to join your team, just because you played a game against each other once doesn't mean you have to be enemies forever...

Red is a symbol of love, warning, danger, and dominance. Red is the most prevalent color in the flags of the world, and is abound in politics and sports; just think of the former communist Soviet Union, the St. Louis Cardinals (the 2011 World Series champion), or even the most recent football college National Championship winner: the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Research has persisted in determining whether or not and to what extent the color a team or person wears influences the opposition. For instance, following the 2004 Summer Olympics, a group of neuroscience investigators conducted a survey of 1,347 teams in an online first-person shooting game, and they discovered that the red team won 54.7% of the games.

Interestingly, this is also the case in one tournament, in which the Red player won 54.69% (eerily similar to the aforementioned investigation) of the 1v1 games, while the green player won 174 games.

An additional study analyzed English football and, since 1947, found a higher proportion of red teams winning the league compared to other teams' colors.

I'd like to determine whether, in any tournament in which players are randomly placed into games as either the red or green player, and neither the red nor the green player chose the map or settings the game is played on, whether or not there is significant variation that gives the red player an advantage or disadvantage.

Those who associate red with the cause for victory consider red to be a distracting element that draws attention and causes one to lose focus. Tell me you didn't lose focus with all the red words in this text!

Farfetched: that's for the reader, you, to decide! We can't discredit the multitude of factors at play, including, most clearly, the skill of the players and which player takes his turn first (in regard to Conquer Club).

Do you think this 5% difference is of any significance? Or do you think this is a faulty cause, post hoc ergo propter hoc error in which the actual cause of a result is misinterpreted and incorrectly attributed?

I'd love to hear your thoughts, perhaps personal experience, of whether or not you think Red has an influence on players' performances in 1v1 games and 3-8 player games.

Hello again my friends, and welcome to your favorite part of the Newsletter, "War Games", where you can find information about CC Tournaments!

After the mammoth War Games section that we produced for Issues 63 and 64, it is almost refreshing to have somewhat less material this time around...

Our most consistent and hard-working writer, DaveH, is back with another installment of his "Tournament Tips." This time, he tackles the issue of structuring your brackets for Double, Triple, and Quadruple Elimination tournaments. Sensfan gives us a roundup of this week's TPA news, and I finally get to unveil my interview with Swifte!

Welcome to the 5th edition of the TPA Wrap. It is quiet in the TPA tournaments this fortnight, unlike last week's ruckus.

TPA 1 HeadlinesThere has been not much action in TPA1, with Operation Escalation still in it's final round, with Hath topping the finals scoreboard in points, and the only remaining Major 7 Up lead by Seventh Heaven.

TPA 2 Headlines

With two more tournaments beginning, little change in any TPA2 action.

TPA Season 2: Completed TournamentsNo new completed tournaments, and we are still waiting for 'So, you wanna be a pirate" to be tallied on the scoreboard.

TPA 1 Standingssonicsteve and MudPuppy still at the top spot, same as last fortnight.

TPA 2 StandingsBarterer2002 still on top thanks to his Major Tournament W.

In Conclusion...So, a somewhat quiet week in the TPA, that might set us up for a action filled two weeks to come!

Until next time, when you can expect:Predictions? Yep.Breaking News? Right here.Opinion? Got some.

In the last newsletter, we covered double elimination tournaments and I mentioned the splendid triple elimination tournaments that Butters1919 runs. Well, he has kindly pointed me in the direction of information relating to the scientific design behind such tournaments. Whereas such tournament design may have originated for spectating tournaments, nevertheless many of the principles remain valid for CC.

* There are the obvious ones! In any multiple-elimination set-up, it must not be beneficial to lose a game in order to progress more easily via the loser stream! i.e. are there fewer games via the loser match-up stream?

* You want your tournament to flow so as to avoid any problem where the single player who comes out of the top (winner's) bracket does not play until a single opponent comes out of the bottom (loser's) bracket or brackets. i.e. to try to ensure that no player sits idle for more than one round.

* You want to try and avoid immediate replays and hope to limit how often two players meet up, although in the final stages this may be unavoidable.

* To meet the above, you may have players with different numbers of losses playing each other - and the possibility that a planned game includes a player who might have exceeded the allowed number of tournament losses! To get around this, there will be "if necessary" match-ups.

* You also may want to design multiple elimination tournaments to maintain ranked position match-ups so that the higher ranked players do not meet up until the final rounds.

Well, all these points are easier to consider looking at different types of tournaments that take these issues into consideration - and explain why they may look a bit strange at first! With thanks to Joe Czapski at tournamentdesign.org for his hard work on these and all the other designs available on his website and Butters1919 for his advice!

Let's start with a 4-player double elimination tournament in which the players are ranked from 1 to 4:Game 7 is only necessary if the winner from Game 4 loses in game 6, so has a second chance, as did his opponent. You might want to have this format of game for 4 groups of 4 individuals - the winners going through to a fifth "tree" and gaining a two more elimination "lives"! In this case you would divide the rankings between the 4 initial "trees" so that, in theory, the 4 highest ranked players have the opportunity to get through to the final. (I might even try this one in my next tournament!)

For an example of a triple elimination tournament, many of you will already be familiar with Butters1919 series of tournaments; this is one of his latest ones:

Click image to enlarge.

Note how colour coding is used to clarify the number of eliminations.

An example of a 4-player quad elimination game:

Click image to enlarge.

Get's complex, doesn't it! However, you will see how the layout is designed to try and meet the above set of criteria. Anyone want to design a 16 player quad-elimination tournament??

(These "tips" are ones that I have tried to make it a bit easier in managing my own tournaments. I am sure there are many different and better methods than these, so please let me know. Any queries on the above I'll be glad to respond to!)

Sometime back in 2010, I wanted to start trying 1 v 1 tournaments, but single elimination always bothered me because 1 bad drop or 1 bad round of dice could eliminate you. Then I stumbled upon merch's Double Elimination series and I've been hooked since (now it takes 2 bad drops and/or 2 bad rounds of dice!). By the time this torney started (the 100th of the series) I had won 4 of them. Merch invited all those of us who had previously won multiple DE tourneys to pick a map for the first round (16 player double elimination bracket) of the 100th tourney. So between my history of playing merch's DE tournies, and the opportunity to get to pick a map for the first round, there was no way I was going to miss this one!You chose Portugal for your home map. Why Portugal?

Portugal was my favorite of the 4 maps I had already won merch's Double Elimination tourneys on, so I decided to stick to my guns and see if I would have the same success again. It's a fun little map, with a couple different relatively small bonuses, so the game play can shift from end to end and back again pretty quickly - if you don't know the map well it's easy to get fixated on the smallest bonus, and knowing this gave me a slight advantage.

Finishing round 1, the Portugal bracket proved to be the most memorable part. I defeated Bruceswar in the semi-final game, sending him to the losers bracket, and awaited my Finals challenger. To no surprise, a game later back came Bruceswar, making the finals a rematch. I jumped out to an early lead, up 11 troops or so and holding a bonus, but Bruceswar stormed back and took me to the brink, at which point he declared in chat "gg! Revenge is mine!" and I quite agreed it was likely over. He then proceeded to lose about 11 armies on his next three turns, killing none of mine, and that was enough for me to have it won 3-4 turns later. We agreed he should star in an episode of "When Dice Completely and Utterly Fail" for that one. Always fun to comeback after someone's gg'ed you though, am I right?

Yes, I went and had a look at it (Game 9700140) and that is pretty amazing. Truly a legendary dice fail!

Your only loss in that tournament was Game 10163692. I was pretty startled to see you say in game chat that you've never played WWII Poland before. I thought you were exaggerating but I looked and that really is the only time you've played it! Pretty wild that in 1000 completed games you've never wandered into that one before! Were you really worried at that point?

Yeah, even with 1000 games under my belt, there are still about 50 maps I've yet to complete. When 200 of your first 300 or so were on Doodle Earth (yeah, I was one of those guys when I started ), it's not so crazy). Joining a clan and deciding to go after the Random medals have definitely broadened my horizons on here, but I kind of like having a few out there I still haven't done, more to explore in the future.

I wasn't immediately nervous because I've played several of the WWII maps before, and it wasn't the first time in the random phase of the tournament that I got put on a brand new map (Round 3: Game 9955797 - Operation Drug War)... but WWII Poland is pretty unique, so I did feel like strategically I was fumbling in the dark a bit, and I'm sure it showed. I was put at ease a bit by some good dice early on, but hmsps knew what he was doing and he bombarded the snot outta me, I was easy pickings after that. Definitely made me nervous about what our last game would be!

I was just looking through your Tournament Cups, and I realized: out of sixteen Cups, thirteen of them came from Merch313's tournies! I think this is an amazing degree of specialization! I know you mentioned right from the beginning how much you liked Merch's tournies, but I don't think I noticed until now how concentrated on them you are. Do you join all of Merch's tournies?

I do make a point to join merch's double elimination tournies whenever I see them. There are a lot of 'regulars' in them that I enjoy playing. One of the biggest draws for me is that merch keeps track of who has won how many of his DE tournies, so it's been fun to compete with others for places on merch's wall of fame so to speak. They're the right combination of maps, good touney organizer, good opponents, and that wall of fame keeps sucking ya back in.

Tell me about some of your other tournament wins.

Probably the only trophy in my case I hold in higher esteem than that of merch's 100th tourney is that of my first and thus far only TPA event win: the Super Smash Bros. Triples League, for which I teamed with Pyrhhus and SeriouslyANewb. It was a gauntlet of round robin's that took just shy of a year with with the field slowly narrowing from 32 teams, to 24, to 12, then a 6 team finals. Each team making the finals played a total of 74 triples games over the course of the tournament. Teams got to pick a home map, and we were able to maintain something like a 75% win rate on our home map (World 2.1) and a 50% record on away maps, which was enough to rank us in the top of 3 of the 4 rounds. It was memorable for the duration, having to start with a clean slate multiple rounds and rising to the top each time, and the thrill of stealing games from some tough competition on their home turf.

Those two will certainly be standing out in my mind for quite a while, I bet!

In total you had to play in 74 games in that one, and against some really tough competition, so your performance is doubly impressive. Are you in any major tourneys like that at present?

The biggest tourney I am in right now is the Travel By Rail - Quads tourney, which is an 8 team round robin style tourney, where you play every team on all 4 Rail maps (Europe, USA, Australia, and Africa), with different settings each round. Currently in Round 6 of 7, the field has started to separate into contenders and pretenders. Denthefrog's team has come back to build a pretty amazing one game lead over my team - and I say it's amazing not just because they're ahead of me , but because we beat them 3 out of 4 games in Round 1, and since then they have been undefeated 4 consecutive rounds, to make their record 17-3. That's an impressive run with different settings each round - we'll see if they can keep it up, cause I know my team won't be letting up . Other than that one, I've joined mostly smaller tournaments recently to keep game count low heading in to the holidays (and giving myself a chance to grab some more trophies a little quicker). Not sure what the next big one will be - we'll have to see what's out there in 2012!

Due to my tardiness in continuing this discussion, this tournament has moved forward quite a bit since last we spoke.

Sadly it looks like we will lose that tourney by one game. Team KORT played a great tourney, going 23-1 in the last 6 rounds, on a variety of different settings. Hats off to them! They have been warned that I plan to host a rematch once some new Rail maps come out... so they'd better stay sharp! Ended up being a long tourney, a lot of detailed planning in games, swearing when things didn't work out, cheering when they did, and I'm glad we participated.

You also took over the running of the tournament. So you will be getting an organiser's medal even if you don't walk away with the winner's trophy..

Do you play more team tournaments than individual tournaments? I guess there's a natural progression there from your Clan games to team tournaments. I remember reading not too long ago, somebody saying that team tournaments are the most fertile Clan recruitment grounds.

I suppose I play more team tournaments than individual, but it's probably a 60/40 split. I have a couple of groups of players (some from real life, some from my clan) that I enjoy going to war with. If you have a good group that communicates well and can get everyone moving in the same direction (If 4 of 4 Colonel or higher agree it's the best move, it's *probably* the best move!), I have always felt that gives you solid leg up on a decent portion of the competition - though of course no semi-finals or finals games around here are ever easy. I enjoy the team games as a chance to work as a team, and to continue learning from other players, some of whom have played 5 or 10 times as many games as I have. It's also more fun to celebrate the team wins... I think some my friends are sick of hearing about me winning merch's 1 v 1s since I've had a string of luck with those lately .

Well, at this point I generally offer an open soapbox. Anything you wish to say, about tournaments or about CC in general?

*Hops on soapbox* The CC world is a happier place when complaining about the dice is kept to yourself or your teammates, it does no good to berate or complain to an opponent or the other team about their dice. Those of us that have put over 1000 games in to the site can tell you that they've won a few hundred games just on dice and probably lost a few hundred mostly on dice. Does it get frustrating? Of course, but it's not anyone in the game's fault.. so keep your head in chat and move on to the next game or the next turn... maybe that one will be luckier. *Hops off soapbox* Thanks Dukasaur, and keep it fun everybody!

P.S. to Merch... I need more DE tournies in my life... hahah!

Thank you very much, Swifte, for sharing your experiences with us. Also, I would like to offer you a very special thank-you for your patience with me in particular!

Well hello again to all of you. I've been away so long I feel rusty all over! And bang, waddayaknow but it's *tweet tweet* Valentines. So I kick off this issue with a run through of where that idea came from and where it might lead some bright spark mapmaker! The ever-reliable koontz1973 gives us our dose of Foundry News and What's Where in the Foundry. And with his own maps making great progress through the foundry he is starting a multi-part article Diary of a Map: Rorke's Drift. It's a fascinating insight for those who haven't the experience he has (and a great read for those who have)! I finish off this issue with my experiences playing super-speedy games and crystal ball-gaze what maps working their way through the foundry may prove to be popular in that forum. So lots here to entertain and inform you, enjoy and keep up the good work! Thanks and regards and in the immortal words of Jon Bon Jovi:

Map out your future - but do it in pencil. The road ahead is as long as you make it. Make it worth the trip.

As you all know, Valentine’s Day is celebrated in Western countries by giving cards and flowers to a loved one (sometimes in secret!). But a little research shows that it’s origins are obscured and not just a little bit surreal!

Click image to enlarge.

The proper name is Saint Valentine’s day and is so named as following the martyrdom of no less than three men called Valentine (albeit at different dates and places – Valentine of Rome in AD 269, Valentine of Terni in AD 197 and a third who I cannot find any accurate date or detail other than that he was from Africa). Over time the distinction between the three was lost and the story of Valentine of Rome took precedence. The story goes that Emperor Claudius II wanted young men to be chaste in the belief that they would make better soldiers without distractions. But Valentine, a priest, defied the decree and continued to marry young men behind the ruler’s back. When the Emperor found out, he incarcerated and then beheaded the hapless Valentine. Valentine was later sainted on the basis that he had healed the blind jailer’s daughter. After his death a note, written by Valentine to the young lady, was found and ended “from your Valentine”. This would all be lost in the obscurity of time but for the actions of Pope Gelasius in 496 AD. The Pope decreed that neither the baptised nor Christian were allowed to take part in the pagan festival of the Feast of Lupercalia (a festival of love to which I will return to shortly) and to fill the void he instituted a day of commemoration of the death of Saint Valentine. Such Papal Decrees had great force as the Church ruled with an iron fist! Over time, the West forgot the Feast of Lupercalia altogether as all pagan events were stomped on (literally and figuratively).

The Feast of Lupercalia was a pastoral tradition celebrated between 13 and 15 February and designed to avert evil spirits and purify the city thereby releasing health and fertility. Lupercus was the god of the shepherds. The priests (the Luperci – the brotherhood of the wolf) would commence by slaughtering two goats and a dog. Then, wearing the goatskins and smeared in blood, they would clean the knife with wool and then laugh merrily. A feast followed after which the women and children would line the walls of the city while the priests, noble young men and magistrates would run past while naked and slap the women's hands with thongs cut from the sacrifices. So being slapped, fertility was ensured. If nothing else, the event sounds very lively! And at least this festival did not involve human sacrifice (refer the Lykia a nine-yearly event where a sacrifice is given at Mount Arcadia to the wolf-god Lykaios in which a small morsel is mixed into food and the unlucky person who eats that portion is turned into a wolf for nine years until the next ceremony is turned back! – but I digress).

No doubt a clever map-maker could turn these historical oddities into a fight between the Pope’s Saint Valentine’s day on the one had versus the Feast of Lupercalia on the other. Another option might be a map re-enacting the trial of Saint Valentine of Rome. Or what about a map re-enacting the Feast of Lupercalia! Opportunities abound for the creative mind.

February 14 in other parts of the world

In Iran the Sepandārmazgān, a Zoroastrian festival celebrating woman. For a day women and girls are the boss and men and boys must obey them!

In the English county of Norfolk, a Jack Valentine knocks on back doors of houses and gives sweets to children.

Finland’s Ystävänpäivä and Estonia’s Sõbrapäev is a day for remembering friends. This is similar to the Latin American Día del Amor y la Amistad celebrated in Mexico, Costa Rica, Equador and Peurto Rico where people do nice things for each other to show appreciation for their friendship (mow the lawns?) as well as Día del amor y la amistad and Amigo secreto which operates like a Secret Santa gift swap. Also similar is Guatemala’s Día del Cariño or day of affection.

In Romania there is Dragobete a day where children gather flowers and sing, maidens gather the last of the snow to melt and blend into potions and snowdrops (flowers) are gathered for lovers. Those who are involved are said to be protected from illness, especially fever, for the rest of the year. Also, if you step over your partner’s foot then you will have the dominant role in your relationship!

In Israel there is Tu B'Av where young women wear white dresses and dance in the vineyards for their waiting suitors and the Feast of Xylophor where everyone brings wood to the Temple to ensure that the eternal flame never goes out.

In South Korea and Japan, this is a day where women give chocolates to men (men give chocolates to women on 14 March). In Taiwan, it is called black day, where it is reversed as this is the day when men give women chocolates (and women give chocolates to men on 14 March – also known as white day).

In old India (antiquity) there was a celebration of Kamadeva in which lovers display their affections in public (no holds barred)!

Finally, in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iran and Malaysia, St Valentines is frowned on as being inconsistent with Islamic culture.

Critics of Valentine’s day suggest it should be replaced with Singles Awareness Day (or SAD).

Well, here is an opportunity for a map-maker to set up a map of pro-Valentine versus anti-Valentine (or other traditions) where much of the world here is represented by these different traditions. It could be called simply February 14!

Historical events on February 14

It would be ridiculous to try and be exhaustive here, but a few notable events include:

1779 – American Revolutionary War: the Battle of Kettle Creek is fought in Georgia.

1779 – James Cook is killed by Native Hawaiians near Kealakekua on the Island of Hawaii.

1797 – French Revolutionary Wars: Battle of Cape St. Vincent – John Jervis, (later 1st Earl of St Vincent) and Horatio Nelson (later 1st Viscount Nelson) lead the British Royal Navy to victory over a Spanish fleet in action near Gibraltar.

1804 – Karadjordje leads the First Serbian Uprising against the Ottoman Empire.

1831 – Ras Marye of Yejju marches into Tigray and defeats and kills Dejazmach Sabagadis in the Battle of Debre Abbay.

1879 – The War of the Pacific breaks out when Chilean armed forces occupy the Bolivian port city of Antofagasta.

1900 – Second Boer War: In South Africa, 20,000 British troops invade the Orange Free State.

1919 – The Polish-Soviet War begins.

1929 – Saint Valentine's Day massacre: Seven people, six of them gangster rivals of Al Capone's gang, are murdered in Chicago, Illinois.

Something bad, Something goodThis issue we say goodbye to not one but 2 foundry mods. I will leave it up to thenobodies kind words to say goodbye to these two wonderful guys.MarshalNey

During October 2011, MarshalNey decided to take a break from his blue duties due real life reasons. Unfortunately, after talking with him few days ago, I have to say that he has decided to resign definitively from his position as Cartography Assistant. This is certainly a great loss for the foundry considering that MarshalNey has been one of the best gameplay commentators and helpers we have ever had the pleasure to work with.

OliverFA

On the same route, we have to say goodbye to OliverFA, after having contribute for the last 7 months to check the XML code of our maps, he has also decided to step down and take a definitive break from his current duties. OliverFA has been always really kind and helpful and even if his presence on the public side has always been a bit "silent", he has made a great contribution behind the scenes doing all the hard groundwork to create a new and updated xml guide/tutorial that we will release very soon.

To both these guys I would just say "Thank you for your time and your effort in making the Foundry a better place for everyone" Hope to see you around again in the Foundry!

These guys will be missed. With the loss of these two, natty_dread will step up and check the xmls for the maps from now on. Soon to be wearing blue he has been doing this unofficially for a while now. Good luck natty.

Now for the fun parts.A new competition will be announced shortly. Do not know what it will be about as it is being kept under wraps.

The Asia map has been touched up and released. You will find it under Far East on the start a game screen.

Lastly, with the loss of two foundry mods, thenododies80 is looking for some help so if you think you have the clout to knock some sense into unruly map makers, give him a line and see how blue looks.

Even if we all know that iancanton is a gameplay machine and probably the best gameplay commentator we've already had, he can't do all the work alone!

For this reason we are looking for someone interested in helping with the analysis and balancing of the maps at the gameplay stage.

Although there're no real requirements to apply for the position, the best canditate should be someone with a minimum knowledge of the foundry process, a good eye for gameplay and a minimum activity level in the Foundry. Remember that you don't have to be a gameplay expert to apply, in fact the one who will be chosen will be trained for a short period before to put on the blue shoes officially.If you're insterested in helping out, please fill out the following form and send it via PM to thenobodies80

Lots of movement this week, and lots of new maps to play around with.Drafting RoomBuenos Aires by koontz1973 has gone through two game play changes and one complete redraw, and it is not even out of the drafting room yet.natty_dread is not happy with only a large map, he wants his Eurasia map to be playable for small games. Therefore we get Eurasia mini.Isreal has not got a map of its own, pitrules88 is going to try and change that. Will this map prove to be as controversial as the country itself.jscutler wants to bring Boston to the site, but has he got the graphics know how to pull it off.Devils & Angels by koontz1973 needs to get some graphics sorted. According to the foundry foreman, the current graphics makes his eyes bleed. Not the sort of thing you want to play on then.pitrules88 has a second map in the drafting room. This one may not go anywhere but looks interesting. TheBisonKing is trying to get the American Heartland made but after a couple of weeks with nothing new. Lastly for in the drafting room, here are cairnswks two new entries into the classic city series.Sydney and Perth. Main FoundryJakarta by koontz1973 is waiting patiently. Wizards by natty_dread.cairnswk has brought his Spanish Armada map back from the waste bin. Kings Court 2 by Kabanellas should be ready for the graphics stamp sooner rather than later. Another map by one of the best map makers on the site. Well done.Clash of Kings by DiM is looking for game play nuances to be ironed out in what looks like to be the first true 1v1 map for the site.Flapcake is looking towards the graphics stamp for his world war one trench map. Keep your eyes out for the cat. Lastly in the main foundry this week is DiMs Pirates and Merchants map. Each player starts with a different pirate or merchant and has to complete his tasks first. Each one has a different task to complete and the names of the pirates should be familiar to some of you.Final ForgeThis section is getting a little busy with a lot of maps ready for play. With the 10 maps in beta play we have 8 maps waiting to get going.With xml stamps.Island of Doom by DiM.Knights by koontz1973.Salams Switch by cairnswk.1982 by koontz1973.Waiting for the xml.Rail Asia by cairnswk.Baltics Crusade by thenobodies80.Knights and Warlocks by DiM.Eurasia (large) by natty_dread.

Last year I started out on the long road of map making. Here is the why and how of my first map. It all started with a foundry competition for the classic cities. My entry for London was so bad it was not even worth considering. Made on Photoshop

But I had caught the map making bug. This I hope will give everyone who wants to make a map a sort of guide for going about it as it is not an easy overnight task that gets done in one day, even by the most prolific great map makers today (DiM, cairnswk).

Finding the right graphics programme for you.For me, this was GIMP, a free to use programme that is easy to download and use. Other programmes that you can use include Photoshop and Inkscape. Each have there pros and cons so it is up to you to decide which one you like. One of the reasons I chose GIMP was because of these two tutorials by natty_dread. In them, he takes you through, step by step how to make a map. Be warned though, this is only a basic guide and following them will not get you a map that will be played on. You need to take the next step and learn how to use the programme properly, also, he has not finished them of. The internet is a great way to learn as it has tons of tutorials for everything.natty_dread GIMP tutorial - Part 1: Basicsnatty_dread GIMP tutorial - Part 2a Still waiting for 2b natty_dread.

Learn how to use your programme.This may seem a rather silly thing to say but all the programmes come with so much, it can take hours to learn even the littlest thing. The best thing to do here is to open it up and play around. Learn what each of the icons mean and do, look into absolutely everything. If you find something you like, write it down or you will forget it and never get the same results again. The more time you spend doing this, the better the results will be and the easier it will be to make your final map.

Finding the right idea for you.Now for the idea. Before I started on Rorke's Drift, I played around with the Falklands War (my second map), Hungary (where I live) and even a map of Conquer Club maps. The idea for Rorke's Drift came about last summer when I was watching Zulu (a superb film) in HD. The story is one of valiant defenders against overwhelming odds. Around 4000 Zulu warriors up against 150 British and Nepal soldiers. For two days, the defenders held out attack after attack until they got relieved. An idea of how to make this into a map popped into my head. I was off on what would prove to be a long, arduous progress of the foundry. Meet my first draft, and how proud I was of this. Took me about 20 hours of work to get this image.Pretty bad I know but I loved it. Not withstanding, the basic elements of the final map are all there. But I am getting ahead of myself.

Learning the politics of the foundry.The foundry can be a strange place. A place of wonder and mystery, but also a place where you can be shut out and shunned. It all depends on how you perceive it. Like all forums on Conquer Club, it is split up into many different levels. Spend some time here and read everything you can about the rules of the place. It will save you time later. Foundry Discussions A place to talk about maps or anything related to maps.Tools All the info about programmes and whatnot in easy to use formats.Guides Some good things here, some not so great. But all interesting to read.Drafting Room Also includes the Melting Pot and Recycling Box. What ever map you decide to make, it will start and maybe finish in one of these 3 forums. Make sure you post your map into the right one. The drafting room is for map drafts. A map draft has to be able to be played on right away. The graphics do not have to be top notch, but you need a working map. This has to include a legend, that can be understood, region names and a bonus structure that can be done among many other things. The Melting post is for ideas. If you have an idea, here is the place to let the map makers know what you are after. It is also a place to start a map without an image. Many maps start here, half ideas that players want to see if it will work.Main Foundry Workshop Here you will be tested. My map was shredded and put back together more than once. Final ForgeThe last leg of the process and the most fun to have as it means it is nearly over. But not quite as I found out.

Meet the mods, a great dedicated bunch who look after the foundry, guide maps in ways map makers never know.thenobodies80 - Foundry Foreman - Looks after the map process but mainly final forge.gimil - good guy on graphics.RedBaron0 - nice guy on graphics.iancanton - gameplay expert, if he suggests it, do it. Industrial Helix - drafting room, the guy you will meet first.isaiah40 - all round expert on all things maps.ender516 - tech support for the foundry.All of these guys have the power, so it is wise not to upset them. They are there to help, so if you do not know what to do, ask one.

First Image of many.The first image I posted on the site in my thread received some feedback quickly.

Boler wrote:Interesting game play, it looks like it would work, but you would need a better opinion than mine for that.Besides that, for a start I would make the warrior group's areas who have 3 warriors a shade darker than the ones with 2 warriors. It would make it easier to judge bonuses.And the tree layer should be above the *rocks on edge of river* layer. One tree is underneath the rocks.

Bruceswar wrote:looking forward to seeing where this one goes

Dibbler wrote:This looks very interesting and look forward to seeing this get done. Quick question for better understanding. What do you mean by degrading neutrals? Do you mean after they are taken they degrade as per normal or is there some other plan that you have?

Remember to respond to feedback quickly as even negative feedback can be used in a positive way. Be polite if you disagree and using the word thanks goes a long way in keeping people coming back. I will leave this with the second image from this map. As you will see, not much had changed but to me, a lot of work had gone into this and I was ready to play it. How wrong I was. This is where a lot of new map makers give up. Don't. Keep at it.

One of the delights of premium is the ability to play speed games.* This has been ENHANCED by the new time controls – not just the old (but fun) 5 minute time control. But now – 4, 3, 2 and 1 minute options.

(*All fremiums got THREE free speed games over Chrisstmas– hope you enjoyed yours!)

The announcement for all this came from our beloved lackattack as an early Christmas present on 23 December 2011. If you haven’t read the thread, read it here now. Aside from the new time controls, lackattack has even added a natty (no pun intended) addition that reminds you when you have another game ready to move (handy when playing more than one or six games at a time!!).

I imagine the 1 minute games could be quite hectic on complex maps and would change the game from a strategic challenge to a quick-thinking dexterity contest.

So, how could I pass that opportunity for self education (read humiliation). I have played the proverbial guinea-pig and wasted away many happy hours bouncing from game to game. In the process I have learned some things of value (and a fair amount of stuff not of value).

First a quick breakdown of the top 20 games in one minute (a snapshot after roughly one month):

Click image to enlarge.

It will be interesting to re-do this in 6 months after people get the hang of super-fast time controls and work out the maps that suit them. But, from this limited information (some may question the statistical significance of a month of data, but it’ll do for now!), I make a few observations.

Subjective observations

Following on from lackattack’s comment, the type of map you play definitely makes a difference! Of the 15 odd thousand 1 minute games played in the first month, the most popular maps to play by far are Classic, Doodle Earth and Luxembourg – in that order.

Classic is, by far, the most popular map throughout Conquer Club history. It’s what we know. It’s what we love! Doodle Earth and Luxembourg make great one minute games because the map is clear and easy to see and the chance of muddling your moves isn’t that likely (doesn’t stop me but most of you are sane!!).

Other simple(ish) maps that make it into the top 20 are: The British Isles, BeNeLux (with the addition of +1 if you hold the three capitals – really just a discombobulated region), The American Civil War (also with the capitals bonus), England, Cyprus (with the addition of two neutral and decaying territories to add a little bit of flavour) and Madagascar. All these maps are characteristic of straight-forward conquer the territory and regional bonus type play.

The next layer of complexity are those games where the game-play becomes a little more confusing but after playing for a while the complexities can be easily taken in stride. Here we have Feudal War (auto-deploys and objective), Age of Realms 1: Might (auto-deploys, unusual connecting routes and objective), Age of Realms 2: Magic (auto-deploys, unusual connecting routes and objective), Poker Club (know your hands and you’ll find it easy) and Oasis (auto-deploys, decaying zones and objective).

This last set of games I bung together in that they are either large maps and thereby inherently confusing or have novel features that aren’t easily discernable to a noob (or at least I have difficulty ). The Third Crusade (clans, auto-deploys, portals and objective), Peloponnesian War (large map, auto-deploys, lots of misleading regions and complex objective), WWII The Invasion of Poland (planes and tanks, one-way attacks and auto-deploys), Battle at Rorke’s Drift (clans, zones, misleading concepts and objective) and Das Schloss (big map, one-way zones, misleading regions, and oddly a pure objective game in that it will go forever if someone doesn’t win it!

I extrapolate from all of this that people play 1 minute games most of the maps are easy to play (for them). If you are an expert in some complex game then you will play that and score big (until everyone catches up with you). But, by far, the majority of us will choose simple and easily played maps.

Crystal ball gazing

Herewith, my predictions from maps currently going through the foundry.

... is already proving really popular!! Worse, for my prediction ability, go figure, Patch Wars and Portland are still just blips! Maybe as time moves on they will become more popular, they are after all still in Beta.

So, with my confidence shattered, I will hesitate a few more predictions from the Main Foundry Workshop and the Drafting Room. Firstly, there are a number of classic cities maps hurtling their way through (in a variety of states of completion). I reckon they'd all be candidates for one minute. But let me throw a stab at a few maps that I think meet the criteria (simplicity, attractiveness, straight-forward(ish) game play and most importantly gameplay (fun) appeal). In throwing this out there, I've limited myself to five maps each from these divisions. One has to draw a line somewhere!

So, from the Main Foundry Workshop my five picks (not including the classic cities - my cheat but hey I make the rules!):

New Zealand - Okay, dear to my heart but what can I say? I'd play it. Yes, it's a big(ish) map and the Tikis and planes may confuse some, but it is otherwise a straight-forward conquer map and pretty to boot!

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Prime Beef - Okay, incredibly silly and I'm sure not to everyone's taste (pun intended) but it looks like a great gameplay for one minute to me.

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Copenhagen Sightseeing - Slightly more complex with it's objective, but a nice small (pretty) map that will keep em coming back for more.

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Conquership - Brilliant two man game (and a majority of the one minute games I see are two man). Maybe a bit involved for some but nice clean graphics and a perrenial favourite of a game!

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Death Race: Mojave - Okay, maybe my most contraversial pick but I reckon the game-play (for those who master it) will make this a solid one minute performer.

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And finally, from the drafting room (and goodness there's a lot of what look like finished maps in there!) I am spoiled for choice. I drew a line at really big maps, but I may be proved wrong in time, because they fall outside my (self-imposed) criteria. So heere goes nothing:

Maya: The Classic Era - I reckon this would be a real head-spin. Deceptively simple and pretty but so many things to think about that fast minds will enjoy it. I see this as being good gor assassin multi-player games even.

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Eurasia Mini - Brilliant conceptualisation of Europe. Can't see how the speedsters will be able to keep their hands off this one!!

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Inca Empire - Looks easy but with a twist, another favourite for one minute in my book.

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Korean Peninsula - Why has it taken so long for someone to come up with this one. Get it to Beta immediately (if that's not being too pushy). As a one minute game, the tension will be immense!

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Boston Massacre - Simple, easy, straight-forward, pretty, what more do you want in a one minute game!

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Well, time will tell if my predictions will come true. Let's face it, the foundry takes time to get through. But some of these maps look almost good to go to me as they are! And for those of you who I didn't include who want your games to be played by the one minute fiends, it's for you to prove me wrong. More importantly, it is a challenge to you who I predict to work it and get your maps through so we can see if the predictions work out - after all there's nothing to suggest these maps in development will come to life without your efforts!! And I must say, brilliant effort to all of you and let's get speeding!!

For Valentine's, we're proud to welcome back a testosterone filled edition of Hardballs, as Master Fenrir returns with interviews of the CC celebrity femme fatales.Bruceswar fills us in on his personal piece to celebrate the noteworthy events in Clans for the year 2011, and Skill has another update events on the exciting Newcomers Cup

Elsewhere we congratulate Foed as the winners of the inaugural Random League , and eagerly watch the outcomes of the CC2 and ACC Championship Finals as both matches stay tied at 12-12 and 3-3 respectively. The 39 member strong Clan League Season 4 gradually starts to gather steam in Phase 1 as more and more results start to trickle in with top contenders of the likes of Kort, Tofu and Empire again looking at impressive scores in their battles. Perhaps the biggest surprise package however, is VDLL's 10+ triumph over DB in a mid-table clash in Division B.

We're also glad to welcome AoC co-leader Nicky15 to the Clan Directors team as she commences her duties this week , and remember that our Exclusive Fantasy League is still running, so submit your entry now to have a stab at the myriad of prizes available!

Well with many of these wars getting close to wrapping up the semi-finals should be getting going shortly, but here is a quick look at the overall scores of each war. If you want to go take a look at the overall bracket to see who will possibly face each other next please head over to the NC2 Home page

vs This was the first war to finish up but 2 articles ago I said KOA would need to pull off a miracle to get the win. They came very close to doing so, cutting the score to a few games, but MD had gotten themselves a big enough lead that they were able to bring home the win. MD is the first clan to move onto the semi-finals match with a 23-20 win. MD is waiting on the winner of the clan war between DYN and LHDD

vs This war has just entered the second stage but should be a very close one to watch. LHDD is leading this war by a score of 13-7 on DYN home maps. It does look like DYN will need to pull off the miracle that KOA wasn't able to get. While LHDD is still very new, they seem to be performing like a top tier clan. The leaders of LHDD have done a very good job at setting everything up for their clan, especially since facing off vs 2 of the more difficult lower league clans, in TNC and DYN.

vs The second set is about half way finished, and has a current score of 14-13 with AKA winning. Whoever is going to win this war will win it with a very tight score of perhaps only 22-21. This should be a extremely fun one to watch, and unless something major changes in the remaining games no one will run away with this war just yet. This battle will also have the chance at ending as the closest challenge in this quarterfinal round with the final score. But whoever wins, their opponent is already set for the semi-finals.

vs This war is very close to being finished up, with GR getting the win. All the games aren't finished up yet, but the current score is 27-14. GR had the easiest time with their quarterfinals match up so far easily walking over 1RFG. They are awaiting the winners of the AKA vs IF war to see who they will face off against for the chance to play in the finals.

Good Luck to the 4 clans still involved in their respective wars, and as we continue to watch the rundown of all these games we should start to see some separation in the scores a bit and hopefully get a clear picture of who will be facing who in the next few weeks.

Best Clan of 2011: KORT - What a year for my very own clan. Taking down THOTA to start the year off really kicked things off. Beating LoW in the CL 3 Playoffs was also a nice touch. Beating THOTA put that cross hair square on our back's. KORT responded with beating G1, FOED and Empire in route to the finals again. Surely the clan to beat at this point. What will 2012 Bring? A new top clan?

Best War of 2011: TOFU vs Empire - When this war opened up, many people were picking TOFU to win. Empire took note of this and had something else to say. Empire would storm TOFU and pull a major upset. Not because they won, but in the fashion they won. They crushed TOFU 40-21. Empire was out for blood and to prove themselves and that they did. Congrats to Empire on a very impressive win.

Best New Clan: The Pack - Pack came storming out in 2011. Taking down many clans in the process. They moved at a very quick pace and played many games. It all came to a head after winning the new comers cup. They were set to face off with IA. There were many who picked IA to win and win pretty big. Pack fought in both the forums and games. Pack wound up winning in a controversial fashion. Not because of the games played, but the fact some of them did not receive medals for the forum postings.Best Free Agent: Seulessliathan - When Seul left TSM there was a ton of offers tossed his way. TOFU landed Seul which was indeed a great pickup for them. With many of the top players locked up already finding a gem is getting tougher and tougher.Most Improved clan: Empire - While Empire was already considered elite by many they just could not seem to land that landmark win. They played tough but could not find that last bit to pull it off in years past. Well this year they retooled and pulled off the win they needed. Beating TOFU clearly put them in the top 3 at the time. Even while losing to KORT, they were much improved. The future for Empire looks bright.

Oddest war: TNC vs LotZ - 201 total games. Need I say more? Wow, just wow. TNC won the war with a strong score 140 to 61. When I first saw this thread I thought these 2 clans were joking. Sure enough they were not joking and played forever it seems like. Hell of a war. Not for me, but looked like fun. I wonder how that would be with no map repeats? Interesting!

2011 was a year that brought change to a lot of things in the clan world. We saw jpcloet step down and Masli take over the head CD spot. I now hold that spot with the help of chemefreak and nicky15 THOTA suffered their first lost, and later 2nd loss. We saw New Comers Cup, 1 vs 1 league, All Comers Cup, and events take off. Can we have more? LoW, TOFU, and others slipped down the rankings, while PACK, Empire, and TSM climbed up in the upper level. AOD, ID, and LotZ Slipped down the ladder, while MM, PR, and Myth made pushes up. There were so many new clans formed, and old clans lost. We are well over 40 clans now and the future for clans is bright. I look forward to a great 2012 for clans and CC. Who will make a splash this year in the clan world? Maybe your clan?

Seeing as Valentine's Day is upon us, I thought it might be fitting to spend some time with the ladies of Conquer Club. While there are several women who have proven that they can thrive in CC's clan setting, I decided to focus my camera attention on a select few: clapper011, the leader of The Spanking Monkeys, Denise, former leader of EMPIRE, Foxglove, former leader of the Knights of the Round Table, and lokisgal, the leader of the Immortal Assassins.

The point of the questions was not to lead to an understanding that we're all equal, but to highlight and try to gain an understanding of the female experience in life, on the internet, and on Conquer Club. It was my original intention to give these interviews personally over a nice dinner and a bottle of champagne, but four cities in one day presented a challenge. Additionally, Leehar informed me that the proceeds from the Conquer Cup were not intended to fund my traveling expenses, so I guess I had assumed incorrectly. Hence, after a brief hiatus, I now offer you another riveting edition of HardBalls™.

For starters, why did you join Conquer Club?

clapper011: I was googling "risk style" games online and found cc!

Denise: I followed a friend who I played with on another game. He is an amazing strategist, and I knew that if he enjoyed the strategy of CC, I would too. He didn’t catch the bug, though, and has long been inactive.

Foxglove: I was desperately searching the internets for a game less time-intensive than Tribal Wars, after one too many nights spent getting up at 1:17 am, 3:23 am, 3:58 am, and 5:12 am to send out perfectly timed attacks. When I realized there was no way I would get up at any of those times (much less four times in the span of as many hours) to go to the gym, cook a healthy meal, or do anything remotely wholesome I realized I need a change of game scenery.

lokisgal: Why is always a bad conversation starter

(1) What's your favorite game to play here? (2) Favorite partner(s)?

clapper011: (1) I enjoy assassin games and team games mostly. (2) hmmm..thats a fairly big list!... so I will just say that there are not too many I DONT enjoy playing games with on the site!

Denise: Favorite maps are hard to narrow down, but currently I am enjoying Forbidden City and WW2 Europe. Some other favorites are WW2 Gazala, Stalingrad, 3rd Crusade, and Solar System.Naming favorite teammates is tough. I enjoy teaming with many different players, and enjoy different things about each of them. However, I like the idea of publicly giving deserved praise, so I’ll name a few, though I have many favorites I won’t name.dwilhelmi - a careful and insightful player who is a natural. Many times he sees things that I miss. He often lightens a losing game with funny comments and he never loses his cool, which I admire.catnipdreams – I’ve had great fun with her since she has entered my CC world. She loves the chatbox, and will often hiss a warning at me if I ignore it or miss discussing an intended move. She is a very careful player, and always gives every member of the team a chance to discuss all the moves, which is a great way to win games.Chariot of Fire – In the limited games I’ve teamed with him in, I’ve probably learned more than in 100 other games. He’s very smart, and puts in the time to study the game for the best possible move. He is undoubtedly one of the best strategists playing the game.jj3044 – When I joined EMPIRE I recognized right away what a great team player he is, and I still feel that way. Teaming with him is as easy as two times two.mkcummins – Marty is a lot of fun to team with. The best lesson he taught me is sometimes you’ve just got to take a chance. He is a great player who isn’t afraid to use gut instinct and pure adrenaline to storm his way thru many more terits than he rightfully should. As he so eloquently put it in one game, “Sometimes you’ve just got to hit sh*t!”I’m running out of space, so honorable mention goes to The Space Cowboy, jalen45, and Master Fenrir, who are all fantastic players. Jalen is one of a few players who taught me the basics and helped me learn to love the game. Space and Fenrir both have a wonderful sense of humor. Make me laugh, and you have me. Did you just blush, Fenrir? [Fenrir response: No, but it softened the blow of getting a mere honorable mention. Neosporin does nothing to heal cuts this deep, Denise.]

Foxglove: I have no favorite partners - I love and hate everyone equally, in their own special way.

lokisgal: Anything with esc cards - its a lost art on this site

There is a childhood song with the following lyrics: Girls go to college to get more knowledge, boys go to Jupiter to get a little stupider. How much truth is there to this? How do you explain the difference in preferred destination between the sexes?

clapper011: ol...its all in the genes babe! hmmm.. sports vs dancing?

Denise: Not sure, but I think I’ll join the stupider boys on Jupiter.

Foxglove: I don't know any boys from Jupiter, just some emotionally closed-off men from Mars. I recommend that everyone visit Venus, where we swim in fountains of knowledge and dry off afterwards by playfully swatting each other with feathers and pillows.

lokisgal: Not obvious?

(1)How frequently do guys say uncouth things to you when they find out that you're female? (2) How do you deal with this? (3) Has anybody attempted to hit on you via the internet and actually managed to come across as smooth, or is it a constant effort in futility?

clapper011: (1) i usually get many apologies for being called a dude..or "bro".. (2) laugh my ass off.. (3) many have! but veryyy few come off as smooth.

Denise: (1) It sometimes happens, but not often. (2) I ignore it. (3) A little flirting is always fun, but more than that is futile. That’s not why I’m here.

Foxglove: I encounter far less uncouth behavior here on CC than I ever have in any other games, though I've met some smooth operators in every environment. I think there are four basic ways to game while female (please, feel free to pigeonhole all of your female CC acquaintances into one of these categories):

1. Reciprocal flirt - constantly and indiscriminately responds to compliments and queries with flirty comments and much digital eyelash batting and air-kissing.2. The girl next door - cheerfully friendly, feminine, unavailable, and generally unresponsive to many of the male attempts to hit on her. 3. The girlfriend/wife - might be based on type 1 or 2, clearly and frequently mentions her other half. Often the other half will also be a member of the particular gaming community.4. Just one of the guys - uses no overtly female avatar, username, or comments.

I personally aim for number 2 most of the time.

lokisgal: Mostly guys are just stupid and assume Im another guy. If I dont know them I dont bother to correct them. So many DICKS so little time. When I first joined CC the guys seemed more aggressive in a sexual sense. Maybe I just dont bother to notice anymore. As for being smooth they sometimes still do try to be smooth. Whats more fun of course is letting them run around the hamster wheel.

On a scale of 1-10, how hard is it for you to resist typing in pink font?

clapper011: i hate pink....so.. it isnt an issue!

Denise: It’s not hard at all. Oops!

Foxglove: Assuming 1 is "no effort required": 1.

lokisgal: I hate pink

To the best of my knowledge, a very small portion of Conquer Clubbers are female. Is this apparent to you? Do you ever experience a sense of being outnumbered, or is it a non-issue?

clapper011: I believe we are more then you think! We just like to hide in the background till least expected! not an issue.

Denise: I guess it’s a non-issue, except for maybe a sense of wanting to prove that a female can play the game as well as any male can.

Foxglove: It's always obvious, but it's mostly a non-issue. And it's very familiar to anyone who has played any other sort of game.

Are you able to bite into an apple without feeling guilty?

clapper011: alll the time baby!

Denise:

Foxglove: No, last time I unknowingly bit into an apple I was sent into The Sleeping Death. I had to wait years for a prince to kiss me awake - and fickle thing that he was, he left me shortly after.

lokisgal: I eat an apple every day

To me, it seems like many male CCers play to express nerd aggression and establish pixelated dominance over others. There is much hooting and hollering and flinging of feces. What about you? Is CC purely an intellectual exercise, or does it satisfy the inner cave woman?

Denise: It absolutely satisfies the inner cave woman. If it were purely intellectual, then winning wouldn’t be as important as it is for me.

Foxglove: I have no nerd aggression, just boundless love for my fellow community members.

lokisgal: Women dont need to display such things as nerd aggression nor establish pixelated dominance over others. We already know we are superior

In some buildings, there are sofas in the women's bathroom. I'm lucky if there's toilet paper and I'm not standing in a puddle of somebody else's piss. How can you possibly begin to justify this social inequality?

clapper011: um...manners?

Denise: Childbirth.

Foxglove: There is a complex mathematical equation that models the relationship between the wait time required and the cleanliness and comfortable luxuriousness of a bathroom. I don't recall the particular details, I just know that every time I satisfy a man's desire to see me wear 5 inch heels for an evening, by the time I've waited my turn for a piss-free floor and plentiful bathroom tissue I need a fair amount of recovery time sitting on the sofa before my feet stop throbbing and I feel ready to rejoin the evening's festivities.

lokisgal: Ever seen the lines for the bathrooms at a sporting event - enough said

How did you feel when you were chosen/selected/elected as a clan leader?

clapper011: Im not really... we make decisions as a group! And one of us (which ended up being me) was elected to make the group.

Denise: I felt challenged and excited to have the chance to help my clan be the best. Leading a clan adds a new dimension but, having done it for a while, I’m now happy just being part of a team and putting my efforts into wining my games.

Foxglove: No answer!

lokisgal: I was co founder of IA quite frankly most days Id rather just be a player

I noticed that all 4 of you are members of the Ball Busterz social user group. (1) What goes on in that forum? (2) Why form a group about doing such terrible things to a man's tender parts? (3) Does that violate CC's bigotry guidelines?

Denise: We have a lot of pillow fights. I didn’t name the group, but imagine it’s was named thus as a deterrent to any male trying to get into the group. What we do in there (beyond the pillow fights I mentioned) is secret, secret, secret!

lokisgal: Nope. We need a place to escape all the male nerd aggression and establish pixelated dominance over others

If you were one of the last two people on Earth and the last was to be a male Conquer Clubber of your choosing, what would be your reasoning for picking me?

clapper011: haha... well..1 person..I would pick him because he is not a bullshitter!

Denise: I would simply wait for you to order me to pick you, Master.

Foxglove: The foreknowledge of the end of the world would force your nerd aggression and penchant for survival into a union of unmatched pixelated dominance, and would propel you to new heights of smooth-talking persuasion. In short, you would make yourself so fascinating and appealing that I would be unable to resist. [Fenrir response: Your attempt at subtle mockery does nothing to mask your true feelings.]

lokisgal: Uh? [Fenrir response: After you were all kind enough to answer my salvo of ridiculous questions, I thought I would give you the opportunity to mock/ridicule/insult/humiliate me. Right through your fingers, Loki.]

If more women played CC, do you imagine it would be any different?

clapper011: hmm...we would rule cc then!

lokisgal: yes?

In my experience in online gaming, when a female makes herself known, every guy in the game immediately turns into 1 of 3 guys: the pervert, the possible suitor, the valiant protector. (1) Have you experienced this? (2) If so, do you find it annoying, sad, or something else?

clapper011: (1) yes.. I have experienced all three! (and many are protector style!) (2) depending...sometimes its cool..other times its extremely annoying lol

Denise: Of course there are exceptions, but there are actually a surprising number of guys who are willing to play with me simply as another teammate, or player in the game. I appreciate these guys. I think it’s pretty easy, in most cases, to get respect from any other person, as long as it is reciprocated and made clear that this is what is expected.

Foxglove: Yes, I have experienced this. I don't think it's particularly annoying or sad - I just accept it as the norm. The very few guys who escape one of those categories are almost always the most interesting and fascinating!

lokisgal: pervert=sad, suitor=pathetic, protector- yep and which of the first 2 are you? [Fenrir response: I'd sooner slit my wrists than be either.]

I read something about a female commander once that stuck with me. "...she had led both factions to victory. After that, they had obeyed her every command, appease her every whim with a kind of devotion different, yet more powerful, than that they would have given to a man." That makes sense to me, but if I was asked to explain it, I'm not sure I could. Being or having been a female clan leader, do you have any thoughts or insights into that?

clapper011: no... lol

Denise: I think I do. It’s a real life philosophy I have, but should apply to anything that entails leadership, so I suppose would apply to a clan leader too, why not? In my experience, the greatest leaders are those that provide the most service to those they lead. The female commander, for example, would have worked harder than anyone under her command, to ensure their victory and safety. While thus engaged, she will have learned to love those she led, because it is natural to love those we serve. This is why parents love their children so much; the years of selfless service provided them when they are young. The men she led would have felt her devotion and love for them, so they would naturally return it. Their devotion, then, is simply a return of the devotion that she has shown them, by leading them.

Thanks for this opportunity to express myself, Fenrir. It's been fun.

Foxglove: This is too deep for me to offer any meaningful answer! Sorry, I'm running out of time so I skipped a few questions. Hopefully some of my answers are useful and/or entertaining.

lokisgal: Sorry, I'm busy and pressed for time, otherwise I'd give you more detailed answers.

Phase One of the Clan League continues to develop frenetically. As results come in, league tables are updated, and, slowly but surely, we will discover which division clans find themselves in for Phase Two. For the latest tables and scores, please navigate from the central [url=http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=441&t=161519)CL4 thread[/url.

To add an extra competitive ingredient to the mix, the League Directors have spiced the league up with the addition of Divisional Knock-Out Tournaments. Most clans have already signed-up and will be matched with opponents of similar ability in 8-clan brackets.